Category: Medical

A total of 142,347 vulnerable people comprising of 76,867 females, 16,987 children, and 65,480 male parents, from three regions in the northern Ghana are to benefit from a five-year project on improving nutrition. The Project, dubbed: 'Championing Nutrition and Gender Equality' (CHANGE), will reach out to about 108 communities in the beneficiary districts, 27 health facilities, including nine health centres and 18 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS). The project is being implemented by Children Believe, an international NGO, in partnership with Norsaac, an NGO, among other government agencies with funding support from Global Affairs Canada. The beneficiary districts include; Tolon, Kumbungu, Nanumba South, Kasena-Nankana West, Builsa South, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Bole and East Gonja Districts in the Northern, Upper East and Savannah Regions. Madam Ethel Sakitey, the Chief of Party, CHANGE Project, said it was to help improve nutrition for the poorest and marginalised groups especially, among ch ildren, adolescent girls, and women. It would target pregnant, lactating, and marginalised women aged between 15 - 49 years old, to improve women leadership and control over resources for community and individual gender-equitable nutrition practices. Again, the project would adopt an integrated and coherent approach to empower women with greater control over food security and livestock production, thus championing capacity building, fostering participatory and multi-stakeholder involvement, supporting systematic and sustainable changes, and enhancing the resilience of local communities through asset development and environmental protection. She called on all stakeholders in the implementation areas to support the project to ensure that the marginalised were empowered for inclusive development. Dr Belinda Bennet, the Chief International Programmes Officer, Children Believe, Canada, reiterated the organisation's commitment to supporting women, children, and adolescents by providing them the needed opportuni ties, while helping them to break barriers to succeed and thrive. She said the organisation, over the years, had supported more than 5,000 children and about 14,000 vulnerable communities within the four regions in the north had been imparted through various interventions and programmes. Martine Moreau, the High Commissioner of Canada to Ghana, said the Canadian Government's support for the CHANGE Project, was a testament of its resolve to safeguarding the rights, and nutritional well-being of marginalised communities for sustainable development. She said about 865,000 people in the northern part of the country had benefited from water, sanitation, and hygiene projects, which was supported by the Canadian Government, adding that the CHANGE Project would further improve on the livelihoods of the people. Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, the Northern Regional Minister, described the project as a game-changer, saying nutrition and gender inequalities were closely related to poverty, which also had a direct bearin g on peace and security. He said there were issues low birth weight, stunting and wasting amongst children in the north and gave assurance that with support of donor partners, 'Government remains resolute and committed towards addressing these unacceptable health indicators and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Madam Veronica Quartey, a staff of the Ghana Health Service, commended Children Believe and partners for the project, saying it complemented government's efforts at improving nutrition and well-being of the people. Source: Ghana News Agency

A two-day workshop has been held in Tamale to train community advocates, mentors, and school patrons, to campaign and increase visibility on issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Participants were drawn from various schools and communities in Sagnarigu and Savelugu Municipalities of the Northern Region. The training was organised by Norsaac, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) as part of its implementation of the Power to Choose Project (P2C), which is in partnership with Oxfam in Ghana. Mr Hamza Abdallah, the Manager of the P2C Project at Norsaac, said the workshop was to help participants to develop compelling advocacy campaigns to influence policies on SRHR. It will also equip them with the needed communication and advocacy techniques to help minimise teenage pregnancies, child marriages, and Sexual and Gender-based Violence whilst safeguarding adolescent reproductive health rights of girls and women. He appealed to the government to prioritise the swift implementation of vario us policies and programmes, especially the Affirmative Action Bill, to ensure that reproductive health rights of adolescent girls and young women were guaranteed. Mr Archibald Adams, the Communications, Media, and Public Engagement Coordinator at Oxfam in Ghana, took participants through various applicable communication channels and how they could effectively use them to create positive change in the communities. He entreated them to create a good rapport with their schools and communities to ensure the free flow of information for policymakers to act upon for inclusivity. Mrs Ruka Al-Hassan, the Coordinator for School Health Education Programme in the Savelugu Municipality, said there was the need for girls and women, who were victims of SRHR, to speak up on issues affecting their well-being to attract the needed interventions. The participants developed advocacy campaign strategies to be executed in their schools and communities to enable them to reach out to a wider audience with informative messages. Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Taskforce of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is preparing to disconnect approximately 10 Hospitals in the Eastern Region from the national grid, due to outstanding arrears owed to the power distributor. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) found out that the ECG, several health facilities would experience power outages within 48 hours after receiving a demand notice. Health facilities that would be affected include: the Abirim District Hospital, Asamankese Hospital, Begoro Government Hospital, Kibi Government Hospital, Koforidua SDA Hospital, Kwahu Government Hospital, St. Dominic Hospital, and Akuse Government Hospital. These Hospitals owe the electricity distribution company to the tune of GHS21,031,322. In an interview with Mr Charles Oware Tweneboah, the District Chief Executive for Fanteakwa North, he said discussions were underway with the ECG to find a suitable solution to the problem, and to avoid the power cut at the Begoro Government Hospital. The action being taken by the ECG is a c omponent of its continuing nationwide mobilisation efforts to collect unpaid debt from clients to support its business operations. Meanwhile, a source at the ECG Yilo Krobo District office, told the GNA that in no time, a demand notice would be served to the management of the health facility there. The Managment of the Yilo Krobo District Hospital, however, refused to speak on the development so far when contacted. Source: Ghana News Agency

The management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi is engaging with the leadership of the medical doctors in the facility to resolve issues which have led to a strike action at the facility. Doctors of the Hospital on Wednesday, March 13, began a strike action in solidarity with their colleagues who are being ejected from their official residences. These official accommodations are situated at Danyame, a prime area in Kumasi, which is part of the 400-acre government lands, the Supreme Court had ruled that it should be reversed to the Manhyia palace. A notice of eviction was served on the affected doctors about a year ago, but no alternative accommodation had been found by the management of KATH for the doctors. Last week, a one-week ultimatum was issued to the affected doctors to vacate the area to enable the private developers to take over the land and this had led to the impasse between the doctors and the management of the hospital. Dr Michael Leat, Chairman of KATH branch of the Gh ana Medical Association, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the continued intimidation and harassment by the private developer had occasioned the strike action by the doctors. He said the management of KATH had not yet given alternative accommodation to about 20 doctors who had been asked to vacate the area. In solidarity with the affected doctors, their colleague doctors have joined them in the strike. However, the strike only affected new cases coming to the Hospital while old cases are being attended to. Mr Kwame Frimpong, Public Relation Officer (PRO), of the Hospital told the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the facility that management was aware of the situation and was taking steps to resolve and address the concerns of the doctors. He said several meetings had been held with the leadership of the association to plead with them to exercise restraints in line with their duty. Mr Frimpong said management was currently engaging the Regional Coordinating Council, the Lands Commission, and the private developers for an amicable settlement of the issue. Some of the patients who spoke with the GNA recounted how they were disappointed after trekking several hours, only to meet the absence of doctors at the facility. They appealed to the Hospital authorities to urgently find a solution to the problem. Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alexander Kwasi Acquah, a Deputy Health Minister-Designate, advocated the setting up of clinics at marketplaces as part of efforts to bring healthcare services to the doorstep of the people. 'To have clinics in various markets because a lot of people, normally will not want to take seriously their health; but if you have a facility within the market, it becomes easier for them to check on their health randomly,' he said. 'And so, together with the Ministry of local Government it becomes something that we have to push so hard to bring healthcare to the doorstep of our people.' 'Which is a concept that if you give me the nod, I will partner my Minister, I will strongly advise my Minister for us to look at it.' The nominee made the suggestion during his vetting at the public sitting of the Appointments Committee of Parliament in Accra. Mr Acquah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) of Akim Oda, and an investor in hospitals and mortuaries, said his experience with private healthcare de livery and in the hospital business was enough to enable him to support his Minister to implement Government's policies to improve private participation in healthcare delivery. Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Appointments Committee, asked Mr Acquah to tell the committee how difficult it was to run a hospital. 'Mr Chairman, it is not too difficult, and it is not too easy, because the initial capital outlay is so much; I was very lucky to have regime that made it easier for some of us to contract loans and so, one hospital after the other, we were able to break even in seven years,' he answered. 'Then it became easier for the banks to have confidence in what we were running and so they came to us to set up some of these facilities at other places.' He noted that so far, he had set up five hospitals and four mortuaries. The hospitals are located at Akim Oda and Kokorantumi, both in the Eastern Region, Ashaiman, Ashongman and Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region. Source: Ghana News Agency